Crossroads of Freedom: AntietamOxford University Press, 2002 M09 12 - 224 páginas The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest single day in American history, with more than 6,000 soldiers killed--four times the number lost on D-Day, and twice the number killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks. In Crossroads of Freedom, America's most eminent Civil War historian, James M. McPherson, paints a masterful account of this pivotal battle, the events that led up to it, and its aftermath. As McPherson shows, by September 1862 the survival of the United States was in doubt. The Union had suffered a string of defeats, and Robert E. Lee's army was in Maryland, poised to threaten Washington. The British government was openly talking of recognizing the Confederacy and brokering a peace between North and South. Northern armies and voters were demoralized. And Lincoln had shelved his proposed edict of emancipation months before, waiting for a victory that had not come--that some thought would never come. Both Confederate and Union troops knew the war was at a crossroads, that they were marching toward a decisive battle. It came along the ridges and in the woods and cornfields between Antietam Creek and the Potomac River. Valor, misjudgment, and astonishing coincidence all played a role in the outcome. McPherson vividly describes a day of savage fighting in locales that became forever famous--The Cornfield, the Dunkard Church, the West Woods, and Bloody Lane. Lee's battered army escaped to fight another day, but Antietam was a critical victory for the Union. It restored morale in the North and kept Lincoln's party in control of Congress. It crushed Confederate hopes of British intervention. And it freed Lincoln to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation, which instantly changed the character of the war. McPherson brilliantly weaves these strands of diplomatic, political, and military history into a compact, swift-moving narrative that shows why America's bloodiest day is, indeed, a turning point in our history. |
Dentro del libro
Resultados 1-5 de 51
Página ii
... American Revolution What They Fought For, 1861–1865 Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War Lamson of the Gettysburg: The Civil War Letters of Lieutenant ...
... American Revolution What They Fought For, 1861–1865 Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War Lamson of the Gettysburg: The Civil War Letters of Lieutenant ...
Página iii
Antietam James M. McPherson. pivotal moments in american history Series Editors David Hackett Fischer James M. McPherson James T. Patterson Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy Maury Klein ...
Antietam James M. McPherson. pivotal moments in american history Series Editors David Hackett Fischer James M. McPherson James T. Patterson Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy Maury Klein ...
Página vi
... American history) Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index. ISBN 0-19-513521-0 — ISBN 0-19-515857-1 ... America on acid-free paper To Gwynne and to her bronze friend, Mr. Lincoln This.
... American history) Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index. ISBN 0-19-513521-0 — ISBN 0-19-515857-1 ... America on acid-free paper To Gwynne and to her bronze friend, Mr. Lincoln This.
Página xiii
... American History. Our purpose is to encourage interest in problems of historical contingency. Scholars in many disciplines have been moving in this direction, and they have done so in different ways. A leading example is James ...
... American History. Our purpose is to encourage interest in problems of historical contingency. Scholars in many disciplines have been moving in this direction, and they have done so in different ways. A leading example is James ...
Página xiv
... American history. Much of the book is about small events such as Lee's lost Special Orders No. 191, which fell into McClellan's hands at an opportune moment. James McPherson speculates about that chance happening in a fresh and ...
... American history. Much of the book is about small events such as Lee's lost Special Orders No. 191, which fell into McClellan's hands at an opportune moment. James McPherson speculates about that chance happening in a fresh and ...
Contenido
3 | |
11 | |
JuneJuly 1862 | 41 |
3 The Federals Got a Very Complete Smashing AugustSeptember 1862 | 73 |
4 Showdown at Sharpsburg | 97 |
5 The Beginning of the End | 133 |
NOTES | 157 |
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY | 185 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 191 |
INDEX | 193 |
Otras ediciones - Ver todas
Términos y frases comunes
action Adams American Antietam army attack August battle Battlefield believed Britain British called Campaign cause cavalry Charles Civil Civil War commander Confederacy Confederate Congress Corps defeat defend Democrats Diary Dispatch division emancipation enemy entry fall fight fire force Foreign fought Francis freedom George Halleck Harpers Ferry Henry Hill hope issue Jackson James John Jones July June Kentucky later Lee’s Letters Library Lincoln lines look March Maryland Mason McClellan miles military months move never newspapers night North Northern notes officers orders Pope position Potomac president Proclamation quoted rebels recognition regiments reported Republicans retreat Richmond River Robert Second Secretary seemed Sept September Sharpsburg slavery slaves soldiers South Southern success took troops turn Union United victory Virginia vols Washington weeks whole wife World wounded wrote York